SIX months' bird collecting in EGYPT. 1 77 



120. The Rook, Corvns frugilegns, Linn. 



This was long ago ascertained to be Egyptian by Hemp- 

 rich and Ehrenberg. I frequently saw flocks of them in the 

 Delta — once a very large flock. On the 13th of February, 

 as I was standing on the deck of the Diabeyha, I saw a lot 

 of them crossing over the river, and shot two from where 

 I stood. One was a glossy old bird, his visage was as 

 shaven as any Rook's I ever saw ; the other was a younger 

 one which had kept its nasal bristles. There is nothing to 

 call for remark in this. It is well known that in every 

 Rookery a few keep the facial bristles until long after 

 Christmas. I have shot a fine old glossy bird with them on 

 the 1st of March in England. 



121. Wryneck, Jynx torquilla, Linn. 



I shot two in Upper Egypt in April, but the bird is not 

 common, 



122. SCHIMPERS' Pigeon, Columba scJiimperi, Bp. 



123. Rock Dove, Columba livia, Linn.; 

 " Hamam agrak." 



I bracket these two together, as I could not draw any 

 line between them. At the same time it must not be sup- 

 posed that they are equally common, for Schimper's quite 

 outnumbers the other. Indeed I am not sure that I saw 

 any Rock Doves which were quite like British ones. 



The pigeon villages on the Nile are indeed a sight. The 

 largest is at Bellianeh, near Girgeh. These pigeons' habita- 

 tions differ very much in construction and shape. Some- 

 times they are funny little towers of brick and mortar, but 

 more often they are the upper stories of the houses of the 



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